Digital Commons Network^™

Compassion Fatigue Among Mental Healthcare Providers And The Impact On Overall Wellbeing, Ruchi Patel

Doctoral Dissertations

Compassion, a virtue of the helping profession, can be jeopardized by a provider’s continuous exposure to the trauma experiences of others. The impact of burnout, secondary stress and compassion fatigue on a mental healthcare provider’s work and personal life has been increasingly studied due to negative ramifications on our community healers. The present study used a cross-sectional design to survey mental healthcare providers across specialty and discipline in efforts to gain a better understanding of the relationship between a provider’s degree of compassion fatigue and specific demographic variables, physical health and their spirituality. One hundred and thirty-seven participants across the …

The 'Land Of Opportunity' Or The Land That Makes Us The Opportunity: An Examination Of Latinx For-Profit Choice Within The Central San Joaquin Valley, Joe A. Vasquez

Doctoral Dissertations

The San Joaquin Valley in Central California is known as an abundant agricultural epicenter with an extensive history of farming, migration, and political movements. Though this geography holds a rich representation of agricultural economy, it is also the site of major inequalities and underrepresentation, especially with regard to post-secondary education within its overrepresented Latinx population. Further amplifying the inequalities around post-secondary education and Latinx’s is the increasing occurrence of post-secondary enrollment into for-profit institutions by this population. Inequities associated with for-profit enrollment, such as high student loan debt and lack of career attainment, further stratify this geography classified as being …

The Perceptions Of Saudi Arabia Higher Educational Leaders On Servant Leadership: The Use Of Authority And Power, Areej Abdullah Shafai

Doctoral Dissertations

With the rapid changes occurring in Saudi Arabia toward achieving Saudi’s 2030 vision, more opportunities and developments will emerge in education and leadership, as one of the main orientations of the vision. The Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia seeks to raise the quality of higher education and its features to provide outputs that contribute to serving the community and economic development. Responding to the requirements of the labor market, the Ministry of Higher Education is seeking to make higher education in Saudi Arabia competitive with higher education systems in other developed countries. Thus, improving leadership in higher education …

Developing Intercultural Competence Through Online English Language Teaching, Didem Ekici

Doctoral Dissertations

With an increasing number of refugees and immigrants in European and American classrooms, teachers need to be prepared to meet their varied and complex needs. In particular, to help these diverse students succeed, teachers need to be interculturally competent, which is a combination of many skills including attitude, linguistic and cultural awareness, empathy, and flexibility. However, developing these skills not only takes theoretical knowledge but also hands-on training and practice. While many programs in school of education provide experiential practicum projects and online collaborations with diverse students, they have not expanded to the population in war zones. Moreover, a review …

The Impact Of Ancestral Language Maintenance On Cultural Identity Among White Immigrant Descendants: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Micaella Elizabeth Colla

Doctoral Dissertations

There is insufficient research on the cultural identity formation of White immigrant descendants who have experienced ancestral language loss. This phenomenological qualitative study conducted in San Francisco, California explored the experiences and perceptions of seven White immigrant descendants in response to these questions: (1) What is the role of L1 (mother tongue) maintenance on identity maintenance among White immigrant descendants? (2) How do immigrant descendants view their cultural identities in the absence of their ancestral languages? And (3) How might educators encourage second language and culture acquisition, while protecting students’ first languages and cultures? Research data included narratives from in-depth, …

Building Bridges Across Difference Through International Summer Immersion Programs: A Narrative Inquiry In Racial Identity And Social Justice Orientation, Breanne Wing Tcheng

Doctoral Dissertations

International experiential learning programs provide opportunities for young people to develop the necessary skills to succeed in and adapt to the complexity, diversity, and ever-changing landscape of the globalized workforce. There are however, several barriers that prevent students of color from accessing opportunities to be fully engaged in a global discourse – placing them at a severe disadvantage when compared to their White counterparts. While current efforts focus on increasing access for students of color, there is often little done to understand how these students experience and are impacted by these programs. The purpose of this qualitative study sought to …

Mission Enactment And Strategic Enrollment Management At Jesuit Universities, Drew Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations

The larger neoliberal environment that is driving all of higher education has left Jesuit universities and their leadership to face two problems. First, the ability for Jesuit universities to uphold their social justice inspired mission and offer an affordable and accessible liberal education is being threatened because they are pricing out those they seek to serve. Second, there is a growing disconnect between the espoused mission of Jesuit universities and the decisions that their leaders and administrators make to run the enterprise.

This explanatory case study seeks to understand the ways senior-level strategic enrollment officers at Jesuit universities experience and …

Inclusive Service Delivery In Jesuit Secondary Education: A Case Study Of The Rodriguez Learning Services Program At Manresa Prep, Angelo Joseph Rizzo

Doctoral Dissertations

The documents and rhetoric of Jesuit Catholic education speak frequently of care for the individual (cura personalis) and caring for those most in need. Frequently, however, students with learning disabilities are admitted to Jesuit Catholic schools without any consideration as to whether the school can address a student’s individual learning needs. This study examined one particular program at one particular school – Rodriguez Learning Services at Manresa Prep -- that attempts to offer accommodations to students with learning disabilities. Through interviews and observations over a six-week period with students, faculty, staff, administration, and alumni, the study sought to identify whether …

Parental Coping In Filipino American Caregivers Of Children With Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disabilities, Kathrynn Mabalot

Doctoral Dissertations

The coping mechanisms of Filipino American caregivers of children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities are explored using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This study aimed to comprehend the subjective experience of caregivers and how they operationalize the established constructs of resilience. Particular focus is paid to the subjective experience of coping in Filipino American caregivers of children with special needs. The participants’ parenting experience and how they manage parenting stress are documented and analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological framework. Seminal studies on resilience, family resilience, and Filipino American psychology are discussed. The results yielded five broad domains (clarity of parenting …

Entropy As A Method For Identifying Treatment Resistant Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nathan Wright

Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience lifelong challenges which can impact peer relationships, adaptive functioning, and independent living. Verbal intelligence has proven to be the strongest indicator of outcomes and responsiveness to behavioral intervention, but this property only stabilizes in children between 6 and 8 years of age. Behavioral treatment is the primary intervention for individuals diagnosed with ASD, but it is most effective when delivered as an early intervention strategy for toddlers and very young children. A biomarker which could distinguish treatment resistant subgroups of ASD from would allow for the development and implementation of alternative …

An Attachment-Based Group Intervention, Shannon Dillon

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed method study aimed to understand and describe the effectiveness of an intervention and the experiences of mothers raising their children in a transitional living home. This was achieved through interviewing four mothers in Gilead House. Initially, participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS-21), the Trauma History Screening (THS), the Adolescent Adult Parenting Inventory-2 (AAPI-2) and a demographics form. The first interview was also completed. Interview questions were based on the Working Model of the Child Interview (WCMI). Following this time 1 meeting an attachment-based group intervention was utilized for eight weeks. This intervention was based on …

Impact Of A School-Based Mindfulness Intervention On Children’S Self Regulation, Elizabeth Chaney

Doctoral Dissertations

When schools recognize the importance of social-emotional learning and support young children’s self-regulation skills, students are also likely to see improvements in their academic potential. Youth who encounter the stressors of toxic stress and thus, who may have more challenges developing self-regulation competencies, may particularly benefit from classroom environments where self-regulation and coping skills are emphasized. The current study examined the impact of a school-based mindfulness program on self-regulation and mindfulness skills of 42 children in two fourth grade classrooms that were assigned to either a Mindfulness Group (n = 30) or to a Control Group (n = 12). The …

A Program Evaluation Of A Drug And Alcohol Family Treatment Program, Katrina Ramirez

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study is a program evaluation at John Muir Behavioral Health, Center for Recovery. The research determined the effectiveness of the program at Center for Recovery that is offered to patients that struggle with substance use disorder and their families. The purpose of this study is to assess patients’ behavioral, cognitive and social/environmental factors as it relates to their commitment to sobriety and examine how the involvement of family members influences the patient’s recovery process. I utilized a mixed methodology of quantitative and qualitative interviews of patients and family members. The findings suggest depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with …

The Impact Of Depressive Symptoms On Cognitive Decline And Risk For Dementia, Katheryn Conde

Doctoral Dissertations

As of 2011, the life expectancy for Latinos in the U.S. was 81.6 years, which is higher compared to non-Hispanic Blacks (75.3 years), non-Hispanic Whites (79 years), and Hispanic Black populations (74.9 years; Arias, 2011; Arias, 2015). Latinos have higher age specific prevalence of dementia, which is higher than African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites (Gurland et al.,1999). Latinos experience Alzheimers disease symptoms 6.8 years earlier, with the average onset of 67.6 years which is younger than non-Hispanic Whites (73.1 years; Clark et al., 2005). Furthermore, older Latinos tend to experience depression at a rate of 13% and 35% with the …

Athletic Identity And Mental Health: The Experiences Of Black Male Former Student-Athletes, Miguel Frank

Doctoral Dissertations

On college campus across the nation, student-athletes represents a unique group among the student population. Black male student-athletes are an overrepresented group among the student-athlete population, representing more than a quarter of all student-athletes. Previous research has explored the impact of athletic identity on student-athletes, as well as the academic success of Black male student-athletes. Due to the high number of Black males participating in intercollegiate athletics and the lack of research related to their mental health experiences, the goal of this study was to examine the impact of athletic identity on the experiences of Black male student-athletes and the …

Mentoring And Academic Advising Experiences Of Female Ph.D. Students With Children: A Qualitative Study, Alyssa Ferree

Doctoral Dissertations

Ph.D. student mothers often face challenges when balancing their academic obligations and family responsibilities. For students with children, there is a correlation between increased family obligations and decreased productivity (Brus, 2006; Maher, Ford, & Thompson, 2004; Lynch, 2008), but academic, social, and financial support can positively impact satisfaction and progress in the Ph.D. program. Faculty advisors play a crucial role in the Ph.D. experience and can positively or negatively impact a student’s experience and productivity. The purpose of this study was to explore the academic advising and mentoring experiences of female Ph.D. students with children. This qualitative study included ten …

Unlocking Creative Potential: Catholic Elementary School Principal Perceptions Of Creativity, Kellie Scherer

Doctoral Dissertations

Church documents and scholars affirm that traditional pedagogies are ineffective in preparing students for the demands of the 21st century (CCE, 2014, p. 13, Darling-Hammond, 2010; Hartley, 2003; Kampylis, 2010; Skiba, Tan, Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2010). A review of the literature revealed that a gap in research on the Catholic elementary school principal’s understanding of and commitment to creativity exists. Even teachers who value creativity cannot fully support its development in the classroom without proper training. Continuing education coordinated by principals is one of the few opportunities for teachers to identify and confront their creativity misconceptions. The purpose of this …

Teaching Academic Concepts In A Play-Based Preschool Environment: A Case Study Of Guided Play Across Three Classrooms, Lisa M. Hansen

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study examined interactions between preschool children and teachers during guided-play activities. These interactions were studied through observations and interviews in a case-study format. Classrooms were observed for 1 hour per week over the course of 4 weeks. Teachers were interviewed following each observation. All three preschool classrooms were located in northern California and belonged to the same chain of schools. A total of six teachers and 75 students participated in the study.

Three main research questions drove the course of the study. The first research question examined the types of interactions between experienced preschool teachers and students during …

Improving Medication Calculation Competence In Nursing Students Through Schema-Based Dimensional Analysis Instruction, Laureen Turner

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was aimed at improving the medication calculation competence of nursing students through a schema-based workshop in which dimensional analysis was used as the calculation method. The overreaching goal of this work was to improve the teaching of medication calculation in nursing education and prevent future medication errors.

This two-group descriptive posttest study included a historical comparison between fall 2016 and spring 2017 students. Spring students had the option to attend a newly designed workshop while fall students did not. Primary comparisons were of (a) percentage of students achieving 100% on the first attempt, (b) number of errors, and …

Perceptions Of African American College Students In San Francisco Bay Area Community Colleges On Their Developmental Training To Participate In Civic Engagement During High School, Melvin Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The democratic practice of representative government in the United States is supposed to represent and protect its citizens. Since the United States abolished legalized slavery with the 13th Amendment in 1865, individual states have made many attempts to impede the civil rights and voting rights of African American citizens. Several pieces of legislation were designed to protect citizens, such as the Civil Rights act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In addition to overt legislated actions to thwart voting rights, the 26th Amendment of 1971 afforded citizens at least 18-years old the right to vote. Studies, however, …

An Investigation Of The Developmental Growth Of Preschool Children With Disabilities Being Served In Inclusive Settings In Comparison With Noninclusive Settings In California, Elizabeth Nicole Schroeder

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to perform a secondary data analysis to investigate the relationship between preschool setting and the developmental growth of all children receiving state-funded preschool special-education services in California in inclusive settings compared with all children receiving state-funded preschool special-education services in California in noninclusive settings.

To accomplish this purpose, a secondary data analysis of a longitudinal data set was conducted using the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP, 2015) to measure progress across eight domains of child development over a 2-year time span and four assessment time points. This study used individual growth modeling to analyze …

Measuring Cogency In Argument In The Seventh-Grade English Classroom, Millie Gonzalez-Balsam

Doctoral Dissertations

Constructing a cogent argument that addresses real-world problems aids students in the development of critical thinking and requires students to present multiple perspectives in a credible manner. Yet, rubrics do not always measure students’ reasoning. The purpose of this study was to create a valid and reliable instrument to measure cogency in argument. I created a Teacher Designed Rubric Measuring Cogency (TDRMC) based on Toulmin’s model of argument for its emphasis on context-specific warrants, and I used Wilson’s framework for assessment to operationalize the construct of cogency. I compared the TDRMC to the current standardized assessment rubric for the Common …

Improvisation And Leadership Development: Understanding Improvisational Theater Arts As Leadership Skills, Jack Skalican

Doctoral Dissertations

Leadership development is immersed in a philosophical struggle. Past efforts at developing leaders have missed a set of skills important to the role of today’s leaders. Since Frederick Taylor invented the practice of scientific management, the study of management and leadership has largely focused on traits, practices, and behaviors that conform to this model such as planning, analysis, control, and monitoring. Missing in this focus, however, are less transactional leadership skills like intuition, improvisation, and creativity. As a result, organizations have begun drawing on improvisational theater skills as one answer to fill this leadership development gap.

This case study focuses …

Perceptions Of Barriers To Leadership Appointment And Promotion Of African American Female Commissioned Officers In The United States Military, Beverly Henderson Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The U.S. military is perceived by many to be the example of workplace meritocracy, but historical studies have shown that the perceptions of African American female commissioned officers run counter to that belief. The military has as its goal the movement from a diverse fighting force to one that is totally inclusive of all members. The purpose of this study was to gather insights into whether the military has moved toward full integration from the viewpoint of the demographic that has shown the least confidence in the accomplishment of that task.

This qualitative study involved 12 participants: active duty, retired, …

A Pathway To Scholarship: A Qualitative Study Of The Single African American Mother's Role In The Academic Development Of Their Sons For Kindergarten, Onda Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

The voices of single African American mothers are critical to research on kindergarten readiness. This study examined maternal influence on the kindergarten readiness of African American male children of single African American mothers. Research on the topic of maternal academic support for sons indicated a deficit view of mother’s expectations for her son’s performance and cognitive ability in the year prior to entering kindergarten. Studies on the educational outcomes of African American male students suggested this subgroup significantly underperformed on standardized tests in mathematics and reading compared to their peers. The education community references the achievement gap as this difference …

Vocabulary-Learning Strategies Of Students Learning Chinese As A Foreign Language In An Intensive-Training Setting, Yan Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

Compared with the research on vocabulary-learning strategies in the field of teaching English as a second or a foreign language, the research on the strategy use of Chinese-as-a-foreign-language (CFL) students, especially CFL students in an intensive-training setting, is scarce. The relationship between CFL students’ vocabulary-learning-strategy use and their learning outcomes remains underresearched. Therefore, this mixed-methods study was conducted to investigate the strategy use of CFL students in learning Chinese vocabulary words in an intensive language program and its relationship to students’ learning outcomes.

A total of 137 beginning to advanced students enrolled in the program participated in the study. The …

Preserving Catholic Identity In Catholic Secondary Schools And The Impact On Catholic Identity By Non-Catholic And International Students, Stephen Frederick Baccari

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of Catholic education has always been to educate students on the mission of the Catholic Church which is evangelization. This study examined the prospect of preserving Catholic identity in Catholic secondary schools that enroll non-Catholic and international students. Research revealed there was limited material available on non-Catholic students, but there was no study conducted on international students. It is precisely because there is no research on the experiences of international students in Catholic secondary schools that this study directs its attention. Specifically, the focus of research is directed on Catholic identity: what Catholic identity is; how one instills …

A Geospatial Analysis Of A Transit Program On California Community College Students, Alicia Kathryn De Toro

Doctoral Dissertations

Subsidized transit policy is a strategy used to lessen environmental impacts and increase institutional accessibility in higher education. Program funding to support this subsidized transit policy can vary between institutions. This research focuses on the geographic analysis of Eco Pass, a student led initiative implemented in the Foothill De Anza Community College District in California to offset transportation costs for students. Through the use of Environmental Science Research Institute software, the research aimed to determine which geographic areas, if any, were of high and low probability of Eco Pass use from data during 2011-2017 using Tobler’s first law of geography. …

The Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of African American Male Presidents In California Community Colleges, Tyree L. Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations

Current research has shown racial disparities and inequities among African American men who desire to be community college presidents in California, or already hold the position. This study explored why California has only 7 African American community college presidents on 115 campuses; how to overcome obstacles to attain the presidency position; what life/work experiences assists current presidents in their leadership positions in higher education, as well as each president’s trajectory that ultimately led them to the presidency. The study explored factors that have kept African Americans out of higher education leadership roles such as the presidency.

Perceptions Of Primary School Principals In Singapore About Their Role As Justice Agents, Kit Wah Antonia Teng

Doctoral Dissertations

Justice in school is central to both the Catholic church and the government of Singapore. Both institutions have expectations of principals as justice agents to serve the needs of every student by means of equality and equity in educational provision to all students. There is limited research on how principals of Catholic and government primary schools in Singapore perceive their role as justice agents and how they fulfill this expectation.

This qualitative research examined the experiences of primary school principals in Singapore in their enactment of educational leadership for justice. Of the 10 principals interviewed, 4 were principals of Catholic …